AirTran cutting operations at five airports

ATLANTA — AirTran Airways said it is cutting its operations at five airports nationwide, saying it can no longer afford to support serving the destinations.

Affected airports are:

Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS)

Miami International (MIA)

Central Illinois Regional Airport/Bloomington/Normal, Ill. (BMI)

Charleston’s Yeager Airport in West Virginia (CRW)

Dulles International (IAD)

In a statement, AirTran said “it can no longer support service to these particular markets in light of the realities of the challenging economic environment and sustained high fuel prices. The airline has a keen focus on aligning its service with Customer demand and making capacity available for future opportunities without growing the current fleet.”

AirTran operates three daily flights from Atlanta to Central Illinois Regional Airport/Bloomington/Normal, Ill., and three daily flights from Atlanta to Dulles International.

The flights will end in June.

Southwest Airlines announced in September 2010 it was buying AirTran Airways for $1.4 billion. At the time, Dallas-based Southwest served more than 70 cities, all in the United States, while AirTran, based in Orlando, Fla., served more than 65 cities in the United States, the Caribbean and Mexico.